Tuesday, 6 January 2015

Christmas puzzles - answers to remainder

White to play and draw. This position looks pretty dire for White, but 1. f5! saves the game. After the obvious 1... a3, White plays 2. fxg6! a2, 3. Kg4 a1Q, 4. Kh5! and suddenly Black cannot prevent g4, creating stalemate. Other first move options for Black (gxf5 or Kd7) also fail.

#8

White to play and mate in 4. This was a tough one, but Ian found the answer: 1. c8B! The remaining Black moves are forced: 1... b3, 2. Bg4 b2, 3. Bd1! Kxb1, 4. Bb3#.

#9

White to play and mate in 3. Another under-promotion is needed here: 1. Qa3 Kb1, 2. c8B Kc2, 3. Bf5#.

#10

White to play and mate in 3. A very difficult puzzle to solve without the use of a computer. It certainly stumped Ian Wallis (although Chris Davison got it right). 1. Rh7 (no immediate threat). But now there's a mate in 2 (or 1), regardless of what Black plays. Try it - you may need to use your computer!